Consumer electronic devices are now commonly used for a wide variety of applications. Many of the devices now include an embedded processor architecture, which normally comprises a microprocessor and associated memory. Instructional code and data for the device is stored in the architecture, and defines and controls the application for which the device has been specifically built. For example, a compact disc (CD) player and a cordless telephone each include a basic processor architecture, but the similarities then normally cease as the CD player is specifically configured to perform a number of tasks associated with processing the audio data on a CD, whereas a telephone is specifically configured to perform a number of call handling tasks. Similar considerations apply to other electronic devices, such as video game consoles, mobile telephones, electronic toys, cameras, etc. The device is specifically configured for its chosen application, and that application cannot be changed, particularly by the receipt of any remote instructions. Even more general processing devices, such as a wireless personal digital assistant (PDA) or a personal computer connected to a computer network, have defined operating systems with a defined set of APIs that restrict the applications that can be performed on the devices, and restrict the extent to which the devices are remotely configurable. Restrictions are also imposed by the security constraints associated with the network that can be used to connect to the device, and any configuration is performed on a one to one basis, ie only one client device can be configured remotely at a given time.
It is desired to address the above or at least provide a useful alternative, particularly in the context of an alert application.